Saradha scam: ED arrests Sudipta Sen's absconding wife, son

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday night arrested the wife and son of the alleged kingpin of the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam accused Sudipta Sen in a money laundering case.

The duo, wife Piyali Sen and son Shubhojit, were arrested by the sleuths of the central probe agency after they were questioned for close to two hours with regard to the alleged dubious transactions that led to the Ponzi scam which has duped hundreds of investors across West Bengal, Odisha and Assam.      

"Both the people have been arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and they will be produced in a court tomorrow. ED brought them to Kolkata from a location and they had been absconding for long," sources privy to the development told PTI.

The agency, sources said, arrested both as they want to confront them with some incriminating documents that the agency has obtained after raids at some locations of the Kolkata-based firms.

The agency has recently issued summons to numerous entities involved in the case even as it attached assets worth Rs 140 crore of individuals and firms on money laundering charges.

The ED has also issued a notice asking general public "to furnish information and particulars of properties, both movable and immovable as well as bank accounts, in West Bengal and other places, if any, related to Saradha group known to them, with specific details" to it.

Recently, ED's zonal office in Kolkata issued summons to about 15 people involved in the funds transactions of the scam that came to the fore early last year after duped investors raised their voice of grievance.

The notices come in the backdrop of ED attaching Rs 105.62 crore assets of various entities involved in the case including Saradha Director Sudipta Sen and Piyali.

It had attached Rs 34 crore worth of assets earlier in the same probe.

The agency is jointly probing the case taking cognisance of the FIRs filed by the three state police departments.

The agency has till now issued attachment orders on all equity shares of all 224 companies of the Saradha group, insurance policies in the name of Sen and his wife, numerous land properties and plots, 390 bank accounts and equity shares of a TV channel run by the beleaguered group.

The agency has also issued an advisory that no one should "transact" in these attached assets without seeking permission of the agency.